Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Assalamu Alaikum:

Is THARAWEEH, QUIAMULLAIL, THAHAJJUD, SHIFA, WITR prayers are same or different? same time some people pray 20 raka`t tharaweeh, some 8 only- why this difference? For tharaweeh the Niyyath be kept in the beginning for all 20 or 8 at a time or repeated the niyyath each two rakaa`t? What about the niyyath of Ramadan to be repeated each night or the niyyath in the beginning of ramadan at a time?

Your answers would be appreciated.

Jazakkallah khair.

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Night prayers and verbal intention

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Your Question: Is THARAWEEH, QUIAMULLAIL, THAHAJJUD, SHIFA, WITR prayers are same or different?

‘Qiyam’ means to stand (in prayer), and ‘layl’ means night; thus all the prayers one prays in worship to one’s Lord at night are considered ‘Qiyam-ul-layl’ prayers, and ‘tarawih’, ‘tahajjud’, ‘shafa’, ‘witr’, etc. are all included in the ‘qiyam-ul-layl’ prayers.

‘Witr’ literally means an ‘odd’ number, and it is the Sunnah and Guidance of the Messenger of Allah (saws) to end the night prayers with an odd number of rakahs, thus making the whole night or ‘qiyam-ul-prayers’ as ‘witr’ or odd numbered.

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 2.112 Narrated by Abdullah bin Umar

The Prophet (saws) said, "Make Witr as your last prayer at night."

It is reported that Hadrat Ali (r.a.) said: "The witr prayer is not required like your obligatory prayers, but the Prophet (saws) would perform the witr prayer and say: 'O you people [followers] of the Qur'an, perform the witr prayer, for Allah is One and He loves the witr.'"

Your Question: some people pray 20 raka`t tharaweeh, some 8 only- why this difference?

The first thing we must realize is that the Taraweeh prayers are not obligatory. They are voluntary prayers; if one prays them, there is a huge reward from Allah Subhanah. And if one does not pray them, there is no sin.

There are two opinions amongst the scholars as to what is the exact Sunnah. The scholars who opine that the Tarawih salaah should be eight rakahs + three witr, use these narrations as their ‘daleel’ or evidence:

Aishah reported that the Prophet (saws) would not pray more than eleven rak'at during Ramadan, or otherwise.

It is reported on the authority of Jabir (r.a.) that the Prophet (saws) prayed eight rak'at and the witr prayer with the companions (and this was during Ramadan).

Abu Ya'la and at-Tabarani record, from Jabir that Ubayy ibn Ka'b (r.a.) came to the Prophet (saws) and said: "O Messenger of Allah, I have done something last night," (i.e., during Ramadan). The Prophet said: 'And what was that, O Ubayy?' He said: The women in my house said, 'We don't recite Qur'an [well or much] so can we pray behind you?' I prayed eight rak'at and the witr prayer with them.

The Messenger of Allah (saws) was pleased with that and did not say anything."

The majority of the scholars prefer to follow the established way of the Rightly Guided Khalifas, who established the formal prayers of Taraweeh after the death of the Prophet (saws). And it is reported that all the believers during that time prayed twenty rakahs in the Taraweeh prayers led by a single ‘imaam’.

It is also true that during the time of 'Umar, 'Uthman, and 'Ali the people prayed twenty rak'at, and this is the opinion of the majority of the jurists of the Hanafi and Hanbali schools as well as that of Abu Dawud.

At-Tirmidhi says: "Most of the people of knowledge follow what has been related from 'Umar and 'Ali and other companions of the Prophet, [i.e., that they prayed] twenty rak'at. And this is the opinion of al-Thauri, Ibn al-Mubarak, and ash-Shaf'i. And so I found the people of Makkah praying twenty rak'at."

Some of the scholars are of the opinion that the sunnah is eleven rak'at, including witr, and it is also preferred to pray the remainder [of the twenty rak'at] .

From the above narration, most of the scholars have opined that the Taraweeh prayers are of twenty rakahs; because it would be inconceivable for the Right Guided Khalifas to do something against the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws). The reason they gave for the apparently seeming contradiction between the narration of Hadrat Aisha (quoted above) where she says that the Messenger of Allah always (saws) prayed eight rakahs + three witr, is that what Hadrat Aisha was referring to were the Tahajjud or Night Prayers, which were obligatory for the Prophet (saws).

Since there is no minimum or maximum limit prescribed regarding how many voluntary of ‘nafl’ prayers one may offer in worship, one may pray as many as one wishes or is easy for him to pray. Regardless of whether one offers an eight-rakah or a twenty-rakah ‘tarawih’ prayer, he will Insha Allah be in accordance with the obedience of the Messenger of Allah (saws).

Sunan of Abu-Dawood Hadith 4590 Narrated by Irbad ibn Sariyah

One day the Messenger of Allah (saws) led us in prayer, then faced us and gave us a lengthy exhortation at which the eyes shed tears and the hearts were afraid. A man said: ‘O Messenger of Allah (saws)! It seems as if it were a farewell exhortation, so what injunction do you give us?’ He (saws) then said: ‘I enjoin you to fear Allah, and to hear and obey even if (your leader) be an Abyssinian slave, for those of you who live after me will see great disagreement. You must then follow my Sunnah and that of the Rightly-Guided Caliphs. Hold to it and stick fast to it. Avoid novelties, for every novelty is an innovation, and every innovation is an error.’

Your Question: For tharaweeh the Niyyath be kept in the beginning for all 20 or 8 at a time or repeated the niyyath each two rakaa`t?

The ‘neeyah’ is the intention one makes in one’s heart when one intends to offer the voluntary ‘qiyam-ul-layl’ prayers. There is absolutely no obligation nor is it necessary to intend the number of rakahs one wishes to offer, the intention one makes in one’s heart at the beginning of the voluntary ‘qiyam-ul-layl’ prayers would more than suffice, and the believer can offer as many rakahs as he wishes or is easy for him.

Because the ‘qiyam-ul-layl’ prayers are voluntary, there is absolutely no harm if one has intended to pray twenty but is able to pray only 2 or 4 or 6, etc.; nor is there is any harm if one intends to pray 2 or 4 or 6 etc. but changes it to pray more.

We again reiterate that a verbal intention is neither required nor necessary nor was it the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws) to verbally declare his intention when he stood up to offer his prayers; he (saws) would simply make an intention in his heart and that would be suffice as his ‘neeyah’ in the Sight of Allah Subhanah.

Your Question: What about the niyyath of Ramadan to be repeated each night or the niyyath in the beginning of ramadan at a time?
The intention one makes in one’s heart to observe the fasts of the whole month of Ramadan at the beginning of this blessed month more than suffices to fulfill the obligation of making the ‘niyaah’ or intention. There is absolutely no need to repeat the ‘neeyah’ or ‘intention’ verbally each night for each fast, nor was it the practice or Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws) to do so.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan